1. Field
One or more embodiments of the present invention relate to a rechargeable battery pack.
2. Description of the Related Art
A rechargeable battery differs from a primary battery in that the former is designed to be repeatedly charged and discharged, while the latter is designed to irreversibly convert chemical energy to electrical energy. A small-sized rechargeable battery may be used as a power supply for small electronic devices, such as cellular phones, notebook computers, and camcorders, while a medium or large sized rechargeable battery may be used as a power supply for driving motors in hybrid vehicles and electric vehicles.
The rechargeable battery may be used as a single cell, for example, in a small electronic device, or may be used in a module state where a plurality of cells are electrically connected, or may be used as a pack formed by electrically connecting a plurality of modules, for example, for driving a motor.
A rechargeable battery module is provided with end plates at the outermost edge of the plurality of unit cells, and the rechargeable battery pack is formed by engaging the end plates with a combining member.
The end plate is provided with a flange that is bent from a main body portion that faces the unit cell, and a nut or a bolt is provided in the flange to fasten the flange to the combining member by the bolt or nut. However, when the flange has a narrow width, interference with the main body occurs so that a nut or a bolt cannot be provided in the end plate.
Thus, the combining member cannot be fastened to the end plate of the rechargeable battery module, and accordingly, an additional part for fastening the combining member to the end plate is required. That is, an assembly process of the rechargeable battery pack is difficult.
The above information disclosed in this Background section is only for enhancement of understanding of the background of the invention, and therefore it may contain information that does not form the prior art.